Umbrella Having An Improved Locking Mechanism

ABSTRACT

An umbrella including a tube, a whale bone device, a barrel slidably engaged on the tube, means for coupling the barrel to the whale bone device, and a latch slidably received in the channel. The tube includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion includes a handle provided thereon. The upper portion includes an upper locking point formed within the tube. The lower portion includes a lower locking point formed within the tube. The whale bone device is pivotally secured to the upper portion of the tube and is movable between an open position and a folded position. The barrel includes a channel formed therein. The latch includes a support element and a locking element. The support element is slidably received in the channel of the barrel for slidably receiving the tube therein. The locking element is supported by the support element and adapted to engage with the upper locking point and the lower locking point when the channel is aligned with one of the upper locking point and the lower locking point. When the locking element is engaged with one of the upper locking point and the lower locking point, the locking element restrains the barrel from sliding along the tube. When the locking element is not engaged with one of the upper locking point and the lower locking point, the barrel slides freely along the tube.

BACKGROUND

Umbrellas are commonly used for protection from precipitation and strong sunlight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An umbrella includes a tube, a whale bone device, a barrel slidably engaged on the tube, means for coupling the barrel to the whale bone device, and a latch slidably received in the channel. The tube includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion includes a handle provided thereon. The upper portion includes an upper locking point formed within the tube. The lower portion includes a lower locking point formed within the tube. The whale bone device is pivotally secured to the upper portion of the tube and is movable between an open position and a folded position. The barrel includes a channel formed therein. The latch includes a support element and a locking element. The support element is slidably received in the channel of the barrel for slidably receiving the tube therein. The locking element is supported by the support element and adapted to engage with the upper locking point and the lower locking point when the channel is aligned with one of the upper locking point and the lower locking point. When the locking element is engaged with one of the upper locking point and the lower locking point, the locking element restrains the barrel from sliding along the tube. When the locking element is not engaged with one of the upper locking point and the lower locking point, the barrel slides freely along the tube.

A barrel for use with an umbrella includes a cylindrical body, a cylindrical bore substantially centered within the cylindrical body, a channel formed within the cylindrical body, means for coupling the barrel to a whale bone device of the umbrella, and a latch slidably received within the channel. The cylindrical bore is sized to slidably receive a tube of the umbrella therein. The channel is formed substantially perpendicular to the cylindrical bore. The latch includes a support element and a locking element. The support element is slidaly received in the channel of the barrel for slidably receiving the tube therein. The locking element is supported by the support element and is adapted to engage with a locking point of the tube when the channel is aligned with the locking point.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows an exemplary embodiment of an umbrella.

FIG. 1B shows an opposite view of the umbrella of FIG. 1A

FIG. 2 shows a partial exploded view of the umbrella of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 3A shows a first view of a first exemplary embodiment of a latch.

FIG. 3B shows a second view of the first exemplary embodiment of a latch as shown in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A shows a first view of a second exemplary embodiment of a latch.

FIG. 4B shows a second view of the second exemplary embodiment of a latch as shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along A-A and shows a first operational view of selected elements of the umbrella of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along A-A and shows a second operational view of the selected elements of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along A-A and shows a third operational view of the selected elements of FIGS. 3 and 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings, wherein like elements are referred to with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments describe an umbrella including an improved locking mechanism.

The exemplary embodiment includes an umbrella 100 as illustrated in FIGS. 1-7. The umbrella 100 includes a tube 10 including a handle 11 provided and disposed on the bottom portion thereof, and including a stop 13 provided and disposed on the upper portion thereof. The lower portion of the tube 10 includes a lower orifice 80 formed therein; the upper portion of the tube 10 includes a upper orifice 81 formed therein, as shown in FIG. 2. It is noted that the orifices 80 and 81 as shown in FIG. 2 should be understood to be disposed on the opposite side of the tube 10 from the side of the tube 10 where the depression 34 of the barrel 30 faces when the barrel 30 is slidably engaged on the tube 10. This arrangement will be described in greater detail below.

A whalebone device 14 is pivotally attached to the upper portion of the tube 10 or to the stop 13. The whalebone device 14 can be opened to an open or working position, as shown in FIG. 1, and can also be folded to a folded or storing position. A ring 20 includes a sleeve 21 provided or disposed or extended downward therefrom, and is slidably engaged on the tube 10. A number of staves forming a stave device 40 are pivotally coupled between the whalebone device 14 and the ring 20.

A barrel 30 is also slidably engaged on the tube 10 of the umbrella 100, and is disposed between the ring 20 and the handle 11. A number of stave supports 50 are pivotally coupled between the barrel 30 and the stave device 40. Referring to FIG. 2, the barrel 30 preferably includes a ring 31 provided on top thereof for pivotally coupling to the stave supports 50. The barrel 30 includes a bore 32, as illustrated in FIG. 5, formed therein for slidably receiving the tube 10 and includes a chamber 33 formed in the upper portion thereof and having an inner diameter greater than that of the bore 32 of the barrel 30 for forming a peripheral shoulder 37 in the barrel 30. A spring 60 is engaged between the ring 20 and the barrel 30, and is engaged on the sleeve 21 and engaged with the peripheral shoulder 37 of the barrel 30. The spring 60 may apply a biasing force against the ring 20, and, thus against the stave device 40 in order to open the umbrella to the open or working position. The barrel 30 also includes a channel 35 laterally formed therein and communicating with or intersecting with the bore 32 of the barrel 30, and includes a depression 34 formed in the outer portion thereof and communicating with the channel 35 of the barrel 30.

A latch 7 is slidably received in the channel 35 of the barrel 30, and is engaged on the tube 10. The latch 7 may be configured as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B or 4A and 4B; those of skill in the art will understand that other configurations of the latch 7 are also possible. Relatively, the tube 10 is slidably received in the latch 7. The latch 7 includes a knob 70 slidably received in the depression 34 of the barrel 30 and extendible outward of the depression 34 of the barrel 30. The latch 7 further includes a catch 73 extended from a position opposite the knob 70. The catch 73 is sized to engage with either the upper orifice 81 or the lower orifice 80 of the tube 10. The latch 7 may also include a spring 74 affixed thereto in a position disposed between the knob 70 and the depression 34. The spring 74 may bias the latch 7 such that the catch 73 engages with one of the orifices 80 and 81 when the channel 35 is aligned therewith. This engagement may lock the barrel 30 to the tube 10 in a manner that prevents the barrel 30 from sliding along, or rotating with respect to, the tube 10. The spring 74 may also bias the knob 70 outward of the depression 34 of the barrel 30. A user of the umbrella 100 may disengage the catch 73 from one of the orifices 80 and 81 by depressing the knob 70 inward of the depression 34 of the barrel 30 against the spring 74. This disengagement may allow the barrel 30 to slide along the tube 10, and, thus, may allow the umbrella 100 to be moved from the open position and the folded position.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show opposite views of a first exemplary embodiment of the latch 7. In this embodiment, the latch 7 includes a ring-shaped portion 75 extending from one side of the knob 70 to the other. The ring-shaped portion 75 supports the catch 73, as discussed above. As can be seen in FIG. 3B, the spring protrudes from the knob 70 toward the catch 73.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show opposite views of a second exemplary embodiment of the latch 7. In this embodiment, the latch 7 includes an arm 76 extending from one side of the knob 70. The arm 76 supports the catch 73, as discussed above, and may terminate at the catch 73 or may extend further. Those of skill in the art will understand that the arm 76 may extend from either side of the knob 70 without changing its effectiveness as a support for the catch 73. As in the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the spring protrudes from the knob 70 toward the catch 73.

FIG. 5 illustrates the umbrella 100 in an open or working position. The stave supports 50 support the stave device 40 in a fully opened position; the stave device 40 supports the whalebone device 14 (not shown). The catch 73 of the latch 7 is engaged with the upper orifice 81, preventing the barrel 30 from sliding downward along the tube 10. The spring 74 biases the catch 73 to remain engaged with the upper orifice 81, as discussed above.

FIG. 6 illustrates the umbrella 100 in a closed or folded position. The stave supports 50 and the stave device 40 are folded inward along the tube, as is the whalebone device 14 (not shown). Similar to the illustration of FIG. 5, the catch 73 of the latch 7 is engaged with the lower orifice 80, preventing the barrel 30 from sliding upward along the tube 10. The spring 74 biases the catch 73 to remain engaged with the lower orifice 80, as discussed above.

FIG. 7 illustrates the umbrella 100 at a transitional position between the open position and the closed position. The stave supports 50 and stave device 40, likewise, are at an intermediate position between the open position illustrated in FIG. 5 and the closed position illustrated in FIG. 6. The channel 35 of the barrel 30 is not aligned with the lower orifice 80 or the upper orifice 81 and, as a result, the catch 73 is not engaged with either of the orifices 80 and 81, but rather is fully contained within the channel 35 as shown. The barrel 30 is thus free to slide along the tube 10, either upward toward the open position illustrated in FIG. 5 or downward toward the closed position illustrated in FIG. 6. As discussed above, the spring 60 biases the ring 20 to move upward toward the open position.

It is to be noted that the umbrella includes a configuration that may be easily manufactured and assembled. The knob 70 and/or the catch 73 and/or the latch 7 is received in the barrel 30 and may be moved, together with the barrel 30, upward toward the upper portion of the tube 10, and thus may be moved away from the handle 11 when the umbrella is opened. The knob 70, and, thus, the latch 7, are biased by the spring 74 and thus will not be depressed by a user inadvertently. No elements of the tube 10 protrude outward therefrom; thus, there are no points along the tube at which a user's clothing or other items might snag or catch. Accordingly, the umbrella in accordance with the exemplary embodiment includes a simplified configuration for facilitating the manufacturing and the assembling of the umbrella, and includes a latch that will be slid upward along the tube and will not be exposed or extended outward of the lower portion of the tube.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments, without departing from their spirit or scope. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 

1. An umbrella comprising: a tube including an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion having a handle provided thereon, the upper portion having an upper locking point formed within the tube, the lower portion having a lower locking point formed within the tube; a whale bone device pivotally secured to the upper portion of the tube and movable between an open position and a folded position; a barrel slidably engaged on the tube, the barrel including a channel formed therein; means for coupling the barrel to the whale bone device, a latch slidably received in the channel, the latch including: a support element slidably received in the channel of the barrel for slidably receiving the tube therein; and a locking element supported by the support element and adapted to engage with the upper locking point and the lower locking point when the channel is aligned with one of the upper locking point and the lower locking point; wherein, when the locking element is engaged with one of the upper locking point and the lower locking point, the locking element restrains the barrel from sliding along the tube, and when the locking element is not engaged with one of the upper locking point and the lower locking point, the barrel slides freely along the tube.
 2. The umbrella of claim 1, wherein the latch includes a knob extendible outward of the barrel.
 3. The umbrella of claim 2, wherein the barrel includes a depression formed therein for receiving the knob.
 4. The umbrella of claim 2, wherein the locking element protrudes from a portion of the support element opposite from the knob.
 5. The umbrella of claim 1, wherein the coupling means includes: a ring slidably engaged on the tube; a stave device pivotally coupled between the ring and the whale bone device; a stave support pivotally coupled between the stave device and the barrel; and a spring engaged between the ring and the barrel biasing the ring away from the barrel.
 6. The umbrella of claim 1, wherein the upper locking point and the lower locking point are holes formed perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tube.
 7. The umbrella of claim 1, wherein the support element is one of ring-shaped and arm-shaped.
 8. The umbrella of claim 1, wherein the locking element is spring-biased into an engaged position.
 9. The umbrella of claim 8, wherein the locking element is spring-biased into the engaged position by a spring disposed between the barrel and the latch.
 10. A barrel for use with an umbrella, comprising: a cylindrical body; a cylindrical bore substantially centered within the cylindrical body, the cylindrical bore being sized to slidably receive a tube of the umbrella therein; a channel formed within the cylindrical body, the channel being formed substantially perpendicular to the cylindrical bore; means for coupling the barrel to a whale bone device of the umbrella; and a latch slidably received in the channel, the latch comprising: a support element slidably received in the channel of the barrel for slidably receiving the tube therein; and a locking element supported by the support element and adapted to engage with a locking point of the tube when the channel is aligned with the locking point.
 11. The barrel of claim 10, wherein the latch includes a knob extendible outward of the barrel.
 12. The barrel of claim 11, wherein the cylindrical body includes a depression formed therein for receiving the knob.
 13. The barrel of claim 11, wherein the locking element protrudes from a portion of the support element opposite from the knob.
 14. The barrel of claim 10, wherein the locking point is a hole formed perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tube.
 15. The barrel of claim 10, wherein the support element is one of ring-shaped and arm-shaped.
 16. The barrel of claim 10, wherein the locking element is spring-biased into an engaged position.
 17. The barrel of claim 16, wherein the locking element is spring-biased into the engaged position by a spring disposed between the barrel and the latch. 